[lbo-talk] Latest Sign of Unions Under Siege

[ken hanly]

 It seems to me that there is a strategy of  trying to obtain votes from the less well off by turning them against workers who
 have through their unions managed to obtain jobs with better benefits and wages than they have. Notice the emphasis upon the relatively high average salary
of Chicago teachers. This combined with the continuing refrain of the need for belt tightening and lack of jobs etc. is leading to successful Republican attacks. 
The Democrats feel that they cannot afford to lose votes by defending the unions. Indeed Obama may actually support moves to more charter schools and performance based pay anyway. In some ways this is a positive development since the unions will finally wake up to the fact that in the long run it is counterproductive to spend much time and energy supporting the Democrats.

Cheers,  ken
 
Blog:  http://kenthink7.blogspot.com/index.html
Blog:  http://kencan7.blogspot.com/index.html

________________________________

 From: Wojtek S <wsoko52 at gmail.com>
To: lbo-talk at lbo-talk.org 
Sent: Tuesday, September 11, 2012 6:29:14 AM
Subject: [lbo-talk] Latest Sign of Unions Under Siege

 
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/11/education/in-chicago-teachers-strike-signs-of-unions-under-siege.html?_r=0

Even so, Richard Kahlenberg, a senior fellow at the Century
Foundation, a liberal-leaning research group, said that not only
Republicans but also many Democrats were aiming their fire at
teachers’ unions.

“They’re getting very little support from some Democrats,” he said.
“The Obama administration has adopted a center-right position on
issues like nonunion charter schools and performance pay. The places
where teachers’ unions used to look for support are no longer coming
through for them.”

[WS:]  It does not make much sense.  If O loses teacher unions support
he may as well kiss his political ass goodbye in November, as there is
no way that his union bashing, or for that matter anything he does or
says, to make repug racists vote for him.
-- 
Wojtek

"An anarchist is a neoliberal without money."

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